When you visit the stone cottage tasting room at Tunnel Hill Winery, you stand inside the rocks of the Knapps Hill Tunnel just up the hill. Back in ’33 the tunnel was blasted and a few years later, the rubble was used to build the cottage. Their name, Tunnel Hill, comes from that heritage.
Tunnel Hill Winery’s main vinyards are in the Lake Chelan AVA for their flagship wines—Riesling, Syrah, and Pinot Noir. All coming from 7 acres of vineyards that were planted starting in 2001 on family land on the south shore of Lake Chelan. They planted an additional acre of Viognier in 2012. Look for these wines soon!
The Lake Chelan AVA is distinguished by a significant “lake effect” that creates mild and favorable temperature for surrounding areas, resulting in a longer growing season and reduced risk of frost.
In recent years, they have expanded our offerings by sourcing grapes from the Columbia Valley AVA. Thier Malbec is sourced from Antoine Creek Vineyards, which is located just outside the Chelan Valley on the banks of the Columbia River just a 20 minute drive from Tunnel Hill. They are also sourcing grapes from further south, where warmer climates grow better red varietals. The vineyard where they source their Cab Sauv and Merlot from, Lonesome Spring Ranch, is located in the warm, well-drained Rattlesnake Mountain Bench near Benton City.
Tunnel Hill Winery offers a nice calendar of events
Tunnel Hill Winery 37 Highway 97A Chelan, WA 98816Visit the Tunnel Hill Winery website here
